The Last Day
by Mahanny
Summary: Old drabble posted on Tumblr about what Caroline would think and feel after Stefan leaves to serve Cade.


Caroline switched on one of the lights of the bedroom and looked around. The silence was heartrending. She hugged herself and rubbed her own arms with her hands, taking some steps forward until she was next to the table.

Those blueprints and drawings were still there. She could not help but let out a shaky little laugh when she saw the creases.

 _"I just brought the last boxes" Caroline said as she walked into the bedroom._  
 _"Uh-huh" Stefan mumbled, completely distracted and focused on the drawings in front of him._  
 _"I can't believe all the things that have to be done" she folded her arms and frowned, determined. "Are you sure you don't mind me taking care of things?"_  
 _"The house is all yours, Caroline" he said, checking another drawing._

 _Caroline smiled and walked towards him, excited to tell him about her ideas and plans for her new home. She sat on the table, the drawings getting lost under her. Stefan pursed his lips, his eyes on her legs now. Where, you know, the drawings were approximately 2 seconds ago._

 _"So, this is what I think" she put her hands on his shoulders._  
 _"Caroline" he said with a little groan._  
 _"What?"_  
 _"You just sat on all the drawings. You've crumpled all of them."_  
 _"Ops, sorry" she giggled nervously and he shook his head with a little smile. "So, anyway. I was thinking…"_  
 _"Hmm" he stroked her thighs and she put her arms around his neck._  
 _"… that maybe, we should think about changing the curtains of some of the rooms. They're old, and outdated. No offense" she pulled up his t-shirt and threw it to the floor._  
 _"None taken" he took off her jacket._  
 _"And what do you think about swimming pools?" she asked, stroking his chest down until her fingers brushed the belt of his jeans._  
 _"You're serious" he pulled up her top and threw it over his shoulder without looking. Caroline raised her eyebrows._  
 _"It gets very hot during summer, Stefan! And we'll need a pastime. And, I haven't seen you in trunks" she hooked a loop of his jeans with her finger, brushing his hipbone with her knuckles. He swallowed very hard. "Yet."_

 _He leaned forward and went for her mouth straightforward. His lips devoured her and she smiled softly, proud of the effect she had on him. Stefan stroked down her shoulder and arm, and then unclasped her bra._

 _She pulled him closer by squeezing his shoulders, and he grabbed both of her thighs to put her legs around his waist._

 _"I thought-," she was interrupted by another attack of his lips "that you were busy with your drawings."_  
 _"Was I?" he said with heavy breathing._

 _Caroline giggled and pulled from him until he was on top of her, both of them on the table._

 _"Is that a yes to the swimming pool?"_  
 _"That's a yes to everything you want from me, Caroline."_

She looked down and her eyes caught that piece of paper on which she had taken some notes about the things she had to do for the preparation of the wedding among the drawings. She lifted it carefully, feeling her throat a little thin.

 _"What are you even writing?" Stefan asked after a long silence, playing with her hair._  
 _"It's just, a list" she replied._  
 _"Can I see?"_  
 _"Um, not yet. I have to finish it."_  
 _"Come ooooon" he wrapped his arms around her waist to bring her closer. Caroline tried to move away the piece of paper so that Stefan would not be able to reach it and he narrowed his eyes at her. "Okay, listen. I know that you writing lists or organizing things right after we have sex is normal for you," she could not help but giggle and roll her eyes "but I'd really like to know what you're plotting."_  
 _"I don't think you can handle my wish-wedding list, Stefan."_

 _He looked at her with a frown and she raised her eyebrows and pressed her lips._

 _"Your wish-wedding list" he repeated._  
 _"Yeah. I mean, it's just, you know, preparations. I have to start thinking about flowers, and sitting planning, and the schedule of the ceremony. There are so many things to do" she looked at the list and sighed._

 _Stefan remained in silence for a few seconds, pursing his lips, and really, really, trying not to tease her. However…_

 _"We got engaged like 2 hours ago" he reminded her._  
 _"Oh, I know" she simply said. Stefan bit the inside of his cheek and nodded._  
 _"Okay, I'm just going to…" he snatched the paper from her hands and she threw an accusatory look at him._  
 _"Hey!"_

 _Stefan moved away from her before she could get the list back._

 _"You have written like 6 types of flowers here, I can't believe you" he said with a chuckle. Caroline gritted her teeth as he approached him but he was faster and got out of bed. She knelt on the edge of the mattress and grabbed Stefan's t-shirt from the ground to put it on. "Do you really want Damon and Matt to sit next to each other? I mean…"_  
 _"Can you just stop?"_

 _Stefan kept reading, laughing in silence. Caroline, tired of his mockery, got out of the bed too and followed him._

 _"Two dances?" he said with a tone of surprise._  
 _"Shut up" she finally snatched the paper from his hands and headed back to bed, but Stefan put his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder._  
 _"Do you really want us to have the first dance, in front of everyone?"_  
 _"It's tradition!"_  
 _"You know I'm not very good at-"_  
 _"Stefan, we both know you are good at dancing, okay?"_  
 _"Hm, I don't know" in a blink of an eye, he took her hand and spun her around quickly. Caroline smiled a little. "Maybe we should rehearse."_

 _Caroline scoffed._

 _"Who's the one going fast now?" she asked._  
 _"Well, maybe," he put his hand against the small of her back and pulled her to him all the way until her chest was pressed against his "this is just an excuse to touch you," he leaned his forehead against hers "and to have you close. Very, very close."_

 _She smiled softly when he interlaced the fingers of his other hand with hers. He looked into her eyes intently and she took a deep breath._

 _"You know you have me completely-"_  
 _"Whipped?" she said with a smile._  
 _"I was going to say wrapped around your finger, but yeah."_  
 _"Hmm" she shrugged. "I kinda figured."_  
 _"What? When?"_  
 _"When you proposed 2 hours ago" she said, widening her eyes to look surprised. He imitated her, as if he had just remembered or realized._  
 _"Oh, you're right."_

 _She giggled when he pressed his lips against hers with a silly grin._

Caroline looked away, letting the paper slip out of her hands. She dragged her feet to the bed and sat on it, not really knowing what to do. She saw a glimpse of his sweater, the one she used to put on every morning, under her pillow.

She grabbed and pressed it against her nose to breathe in the scent of him. A shaky breath emerged from her throat and she bit her lip to repress the flow of emotions that threatened to come out.

She looked over her shoulder, her eyes wandering over the empty bed, and they filled with tears.

 _She removed her shoes quietly and walked over to the bed on tiptoe. He was laying on his side, his back to her, and she could hear his breathing. She got on the bed carefully, pulled the covers over her and brought herself closer to his back, squeezing her arm between his and his chest._

 _Stefan took a deep breath and took her hand to squeeze it tightly._

 _"Hey" he said with sleepy voice._  
 _"Hey" she said in a whisper._  
 _"How's Bonnie?"_  
 _"You know, she just… keeps trying."_

 _He opened his eyes and looked down at their joined hands as he fiddled with her fingers._

 _"I lied this morning" he said._  
 _"About what?"_  
 _"Me, crashing at the Armory to give you two some space."_  
 _"Yeah" she laughed a little. "I figured, considering I stayed at her cabin."_

 _He could not help but smile a little._

 _"It's just… I'm so used to you sleeping next to me every night. It's not the same to do it on my own anymore."_

 _She smiled and pressed her nose against his back, closing her eyes. He sighed and brought her hand to his lips._

 _"You make me so happy, Caroline" she murmured against her skin. She sighed too. If only he knew how happy he made her too._

 _He turned to her and she opened her eyes to look at him. He gave her a little smile as he buried his hand in her hair._

 _"I don't want to spend any more nights away from you."_

 _She returned his smile with one of hers and looked into his eyes._

 _"You won't."_


End file.
